My husband and I are thinking of visiting Istanbul the first week of June for one week. We'll be flying from London where we're spending a long weekend with friends. We have from Sunday morning to the following Sunday and would like to spend 4 nights in Istanbul and then 3 nights in either the Mediterranean coast or in Cappadocia. We are a couple in our late 30s/early 40s who enjoy seeing cultural/historic sites, local neighborhoods and are active on vacation (lots of walking, exploring, site seeing). We aren't interested in late nightlife but would rather enjoy having a glass of wine on a terrace at sunset. The beaches/coast is appealing as we do enjoy the sun and wouldn't mind relaxing after exploring Istanbul. Cappadocia is of interest for the history, caves, chimneys and hot air balloon ride. Totally different locale, but if anyone has any suggestions, they'd be much appreciated!
Posted by
Dunwoody, Georgia
338 posts
My recommendation is Cappadocia. The setting and sites are far more unique compared to the coast - think the badlands of ND and SD but with lots of historic sites and culture. If you do go, I recommend renting a car. The sites are scattered across the region and a car will allow for greater flexability and the opportunity to see some top notch, seldom visited places. If you do pick Cappadocia here are some recommendations. Everything below is doable in the three days you'll have. Goreme open air museum is best place to see churches. It has the densest concentration of them in the best shape and the village has lots of places to stay and eat. Be sure to look at the buckle church and church of the evil eye (El Nazar) nearby. The second best place to see churches is the Ilhara Valley. It's a great day hike through the woods with a nice scattering of churches built up along the cliff walls. Two great stand-alone churches are the Church of St. John in Gulsehir and the Eski Gumusler monastery near Nigde. Both are outstanding and thinly visited. The Uchisar castle is worth a quick visit for the nice views from the top and the fairy chimnies nearby. For underground cities I like Derikyu and Kamakli the best (pick one). If you have not visited one before, I found that this is one case where hiring a guide at the entrance is worth it. If you're in good enough shape and want a quicker experience there is a nice underground village near Guzelyurt. Sarihan near Avanos is an easy to visit caravansary. It's a nice setting for an afternoon tea break. Avanos is also a nice village nearby to stop for a meal and to shop for pottery. Some of the best fairy chimneys are near Uchisar, Goreme, and the Deverent Valley. There are ample pull-offs for photos near these. Have fun!
Posted by
Martinez, CA, USA
1510 posts
We have been to the Antalya area and also to the Turquoise coast of Turkey as well as Cappadocia. Although the beaches are beautiful, we would also recommend Cappadocia. Three nights in Cappadocia should give you time to experience some of what the region has to offer. We flew into Kayseri and had a van take us to the airport but you may want to pick up and return a rental car at the airport. We rented a car before going and had it delivered to and picked up from our hotel as we were taking a bus to another location. Being able to drive to each site allowed us to see more in the time we had. The hot air balloon ride starts so early in the morning that you still have the entire day left for other sites. The Goreme Open Air Museum is great as is Zelve Open Air Museum and the fairy chimneys near Zelve and also in Deverent Valley. You might want to pick one open air museum and one fairy chimney site. Ihlara Valley is also great. We parked at the visitor center and walked down the 750 steps to do a short hike in the valley. We visited Derinkuyu uderground city and can recommend it. Agree that Uchisar castle is also a great stop. If you spend 3 nights you will have 2.5 days or so to visit the sites so you may have to pick and choose carefully. We loved the area and wish you a great visit!